The Portland daily press., 1887-05-16
RoMANoEs oEAN OFFICE.
Dead Letters that tell very Interesting
Stories.


gentleman who was formerly in the Dead
ces there are uncovered in that resting-place
Tor unclaimed correspondence.
Il can tell you thousandth part Of what
l saw there, but I'll give you sample. I've
seen newspaper stories time and again about
the nondescript articles that gather there,
but don't think they can as much as shake
a stick at the romances.
Il remember very distinctly the first one
which came across. 1t began by the receipt
OF letter, which it became my duty to open.
1t was dainty little sheet Of note paper in
little square envelope, and contained, in
addition to few hasty-written words Of
love, a curl Of golden brown hair-and such
long hairl 1t must have reached almost to
the floor.
''It was not very long before another let
ter followed, II was full Of wonder and fear
that Harry had not written. After that
they came thick and fast, covering space
of nearly two months. They were all sent
to the same address, and one of the last half
dozen contained her photograph. She had
been beautiful girl, but the scared look in
her eyes and the to0-early wrinkles told an
unmistakable tale of the troubles that had
come to the writer of the letters.
''The last one was the only one that con-
tanned any clue to the writer. There she had
signed her name in full, in trembling hand,
very unlike the one in which she first wrote.
| gave instructions that the hair, photograph
ETC., should be returned, and when L went
home that night sat down to write letter to
her, to tell her where her letters had been go
ing all the time. That was not my duty, of
course but had become interested in her
trouble and felt almost as if l knew her.
Went home, did say? No, l went to
my clearinghouse, and just as | took up
my pen to write my eye fell on paper from
the place where she mailed her letters. My
landlady used to live there, as l afterwards
learned, and friend had sent the paper to
her. When / saw where it was from l pick
ed 1t up and glanced carelessly over it, little
expecting to find anything of interest in it,
but my eye fell ON the death notices, and the
icide.' Well, | don't know. She'd had
enough to kill her without that.
Never found out anything about the man,
| suppose?' asked the reporter, as the mar
rator paused.
mo. That's what makes dead letter Of
fee romances both fascinating and aggrava-
ting. 1t Is like reading every other chapter
Of novel and not getting the last one.
Il remember one that got both ends OF.
Just by accident, though. The letters in this
case were written by the man, and though |
was rushed with work, always used to read
them carefully from first to last. The first
letter that reached the office contained mon
cyl don't remember how much, but not
less than twenty-five dollars. 1t was to take
the girl to whom it was addressed to to the
writer OF the letter who was unable to
leave his business. They were to be married
at once on her arrival. Sometime after other
letters came They were mailed from many
places and sent to different addresses. He
had given up his business and let everything
else in life go to look for her, but, like most
love-letter writers, he gave no clue to his
Identity beyond his first name. That was
very prosaic one-just john.
zone evening sat in my room at my
boarding-house and heard woman's voice
in the adjoining house, which had been new
ly occupied not very long before. She was
saying IN high-strung voice:
Lena. you are fool. If John West
wood cared for you he would not have de-
serted you as he has.
'Lenal Johnl Yes, they were the names
and the next morning at the breakfast-table
l asked my landlady who our neighbOrs
were. My enthusiasm was chilled when she
said their name was Smith. That was not
the ladies name, but pursued my inquiries
and concluded that l was right after all. At
any rate | would take the chances, and that
day wrote to John Westwood, sent the ad-
dress from which he had first written and
then waited. 1t was week before there
was reply, and then 1t was a telegram sent
as soon as the letter was received / had not
told him anything definite, but the telegram
was definite enough. 1t said; I'll see you
day after tomorrow"
"He was there, too though L never could
imagine how he got there so soon. He was
the writer OF the letters, SO of course our
neighbor must be the missing girl. told all
/ knew, and then he went to see. what he
could find out. There was terrible scene
in the house. Lena's aunt, with whom she
lived, had destroyed her letters because the
girl had suddenly become an heiress, and she
didn't want her to marry. There was we'd
ding in parsonage that night, at which /
was best man and the only witness except
the clergyman's family. | don't suppose
most folks would have bothered to write 20
him, but it was very little thing to do, after
ALL"
"One batch of letters / read up was of
very different nature. 1t was from one man
to another The first one contained the plan
for burglary, in which the recipient of the
letter was assigned to only one duty-that Of
numbering the watchman in the bank which
was to be robbed. He was known as Mum
Der Four" and itappeared from the numbers
that there were eight men in the scheme be-
sides the writer of the letter,
"The second letter reproached Number
Four for not replying to the first one, and
showed under There were two letter after
that, the first one of the two containing more
reproaches. The second was written in a
light, trifing vein saying that it was lucky
the crib hadn't been cracked etc. and
asking 'Nmber Four to come and see the
writer.
II guess he went and got showed under. ,
There were no more of the letters"